1,000,000 hot tubs. That’s the milestone that Watkins Manufacturing is celebrating this month. What a feat!

Watkins Manufacturing, the maker of Hot Spring, Limelight and Hot Spot Hot tubs, is the first company to reach that number in the industry! As near as I can tell the next largest manufacturer has made fewer than 500,000. Some sources say 300,000. The company used the occasion to recognize its employees’ “significant and ongoing commitment to excellence” with celebrations at its manufacturing plant in Vista, California. There’s the production team in the photo.

The company has chosen to benefit the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to celebrate the 1,000,000th hot tub, which is honoring four Californian first responders at its national commemoration later this month.

Watkins held an online auction for the millionth hot tub, a Hot Spring Aria model (best of the best!). On behalf of the Watkins employees, the company will match 100 percent of the winning auction bid for the “One Millionth Hot Tub,” effectively doubling the donation tot he National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. That amounts to $34,400!

“The effort to commemorate this manufacturing milestone in the spa industry comes with a sincere wish to thank the people who have made Watkins a long-term success story,” said Steve Hammock, president of Watkins Manufacturing. “It is the passion of our employees, along with the dedication of our loyal retailers, that ultimately creates our ongoing value —and for this we sincerely thank them all.”

Olympic Hot Tub has been a Watkins-Hot Spring Spa dealer since 1982-that will be 30 years in 2012. We are tremendously fortunate to be a Hot Spring dealer because of their commitment to manufacturing excellence. There is no better hot tub on the market.

If you’re hot tub shopping, wouldn’t you rather go with a company that’s made 1,000,000 hot tubs? 1,000,000 means they’ve gotten it right…1,000,000 times. All of the 1,000,000 hot tub buyers voted with their checkbooks to make Watkins the #1 manufacturer. You can’t argue with success.